Hunters' Lodges

Quick Facts: Who was Hunters' Lodges?

Subject:

Hunters' Lodges

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A secret U.S.-based militia formed during the 1837 Canadian rebellions.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Hunters' Lodge (French: Refuge des Chasseurs) was the last of a series of secret organizations formed in 1838 in the United States during the Rebellions in Upper and Lower Canada. The organization arose in Vermont among Lower Canadian refugees (the eastern division or Frères chasseurs) and spread westward under the influence of Dr Charles Duncombe and Donald McLeod, leaders of the short lived Canadian Refugee Relief Association, and Scottish-born former Mayor of Toronto William Lyon Mackenzie, drawing in support from many different areas in North America and Europe. They also absorbed Henry S. Handy's 'Secret Order of the Sons of Liberty' in Detroit into a Grand Lodge in Cleveland. The Hunters Lodges were modelled on masonic lodges, and adopted similar secret signs, hierarchical orders, and rituals. The four degrees of the Lodge were: Snowshoe, Beaver, Grand Hunter and Patriot Hunter.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Soldiers without rank were of the first degree, commissioned officers of the second, field officers of the third, and the highest ranking commissioned officers of the fourth degree. They also utilized a secret code, sometimes printed in newspapers like the Buffalonian, to communicate orders. Lodges existed across Vermont, western New York, Ohio and Michigan with particularly active sites being Watertown, Oswego, Salina (now Syracuse), Rochester, Buffalo, Cleveland, and Detroit. In September 1838, 70 delegates from the western Hunters' Lodges attended a secret, week-long "Patriot Congress" in Cleveland, Ohio. They appointed a provisional Canadian republican government, electing: President A.D. Smith, "chief justice of the peace at Cleveland" Vice-President Colonel Nathan Williams, "a wholesale grocer" in Cleveland Secretary of the Treasury Judge John Grant Jr, Oswego Secretary of War Donald McLeod Commander-in-chief of the "Patriot Army of the West," Lucius V. Bierce, "an attorney at Akron," mayor of Akron, Ohio.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Commissary General, a man named Brunson, of Buffalo Commodore of the Patriot Navy on Lake Erie, Gilman Appleby, former Captain of the Caroline Commodore of the Patriot Navy on Lake Ontario, Bill Johnston To fund the war, they formed a joint stock bank, the Republican Bank of Canada, with Secretary of the Treasury John Grant, Jr. as President. They printed bills with pictures of Rebellion martyrs Samuel Lount and James Morreau on them. The official newspaper of the organization was the Bald Eagle published in Cleveland by Samuel Underhill. The leadership of the Patriot movement appears to have belonged to the small Equal Rights Party (known more popularly as the Locofocos). The small party emerged in 1836 in New York with a platform emphasizing radical republicanism, an end to the "moneyed aristocracy", and "Free Banking".

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1836: 1836 Milestone — The small party emerged in 1836 in New York with a platform emphasizing radical republicanism, an end to the "moneyed aristocracy", and "Free Banking".
2. 1838: 1838 Milestone — The Hunters' Lodge (French: Refuge des Chasseurs) was the last of a series of secret organizations formed in 1838 in the United States during the Rebellions in Upper and Lower Canada.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Hunters' Lodges

True or False: “The Hunters' Lodge was primarily composed of established, wealthy American merchants seeking political influence.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): The organization drew support from various groups, including Lower Canadian refugees and individuals involved in radical republicanism.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Abraham Kuyper — Historical peer (Born in 1837) (1837): Influential neo-Calvinist pastor, journalist, and Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
• Alexander Pushkin — Historical peer (Died in 1837) (1837): Founder of modern Russian literature and a towering figure of the Romantic era.
• Angelo Mariani (chemist) — Historical peer (Born in 1838) (1838): French pharmacy technician and entrepreneur, famous for inventing Vin Mariani.
• Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam — Historical peer (Born in 1838) (1838): French symbolist writer known for his literary contributions and aristocratic background.
• Aaron Burr — Historical peer (Died in 1836) (1836): American politician, lawyer, and statesman known for his role in the Jeffersonian era.
• André-Marie Ampère — Historical peer (Died in 1836) (1836): Founder of classical electromagnetism; inventor of the solenoid and electrical telegraph.

Frequently Asked Questions about Hunters' Lodges